ANKARA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 41 historical artifacts of Anatolian origin that were illegally taken out of Türkiye are being returned to the country from the United States, a Turkish cabinet minister announced on Wednesday.
"As a result of successful collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Department of Homeland Security's investigation unit, a total of 41 cultural assets, including bronze heads, busts and silver figurines, are returning home," Türkiye's Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy wrote in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ersoy said the artworks, which were smuggled into the United States, are scheduled to be brought to Türkiye at the end of the month.
The artifacts seized in the United States have been handed over to Turkish authorities in New York as part of Türkiye's cultural repatriation efforts, Türkiye's NTV broadcaster reported on Wednesday.
So far this year, Turkish authorities have secured the return of 3,059 historical artifacts from abroad, according to a statement released by Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday. ■